This year was astoundingly good for South cinema as many filmmakers and actors shed their action image and opted for experimental content and themes. From Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha's 96 to Ram Charan and Samantha Akkineni's Rangasthalan, these films were different and had a huge impact on the audience. Some of the big shot films failed at the box office while these films picked up.

With that, let's check out the best South films of 2018 that stood tall thanks to its unique concept.

96

Starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha, the film is a beautiful tale about reliving lost love and finding closure after 20 years. With the sheer simplicity of the script, 96 won hearts even if it didn't earn much money.

Kaala

With Rajinikanth as the godfather running Mumbai's Dharavi area, the story is a politically driven battle between sections of society and the authorities. The experimental flick did wonders and won Rajini his fans, despite the box office refusing to showcase good numbers.

Vada Chennai

Undoubtedly one of the finest political thrillers starring an ensemble cast with Dhanush, Aishwarya Rajesh, Andrea Jeremiah and others. The film garnered praise and performed well at the box office.

Sarkar

Another political thriller that made Diwali lit this year, Thalapathy Vijay's Sarkar made as much money as it brought him fame. Not to mention the brave idea of RTI's necessity among the masses, especially as the State elections close in. The movie entered the 300 crore club, making Vijay the only person after Rajinikanth to reach this feat.

Mahanati

A bilingual biopic of Telugu actress Savitri brought to life by Keerthy Suresh. The ensemble cast also starred Duqluer Salmaan, Vijay Deverakonda, Samantha and Naga Chaitanya Akkineni. The box office was quite decent while Keerthy's performance raked a lot of praise.

Rangasthalam

Starring Ram Charan and Samantha Akkineni in pivotal roles, the story of Rangasthalam sold like hotcakes at the box office! The intriguing tale of a hearing-impaired boy trying to quash the turmoil between two villages bode well with fans and critics.

Aravinda Sametha

Jr NTR and Pooja Hegde's film brought in something fresh that the Telugu industry didn't see in a while. Instead of cashing in on the hate and action, the filmmaker chose to find the option of peace and Gandhian methodology to curb fights between two big shot families. It received lots of praise and love from fans and critics.

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam

This multi-starrer gangster film with a cast like Silambarasam, Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swamy and Arun Vijay helmed by Mani Ratnam was vibrant and had great potential. Despite some of its glaring errors, the film did win hearts with its intrigue factor.

Bharat Ane Nenu

Kiara Advani and Mahesh Babu's this political drama brought another shade of the Telugu actor. The film did tremendously well at the box office as it raked in a whopping Rs 187 crore approximately.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2018 09:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).